These Words
by zabeth0322
Summary: Indigoshippy. Richie never could find the right words to say to Misty, but his heart knew just what to say. Sugary sweet oneshot.


Indigoshipping – Richie and Misty

Second Song-fic. I've learned some stuff now: I tried to bring in the shyness I picture Richie to have and the other side of the normally rough and tumble Misty. I figured that if anything could bring out this side of her it would be a dose of Richie with love!

_Disclaimer: Don't own Pokemon or the following song…_

**Natasha Bedingfield – These Words  
**

* * *

_These words are my own  
Threw some chords together  
The combination D-E-F  
It's who I am, it's what I do  
And I was gonna lay it down for you_

Richie walked through Cerulean City, hands in his pockets. Passersby would think he was simply daydreaming, but no, Richie was dreaming of a certain someone. Said someone was currently walking towards him. Both, being in a daze due to thoughts of loved ones, collided.

Richie fell hard to the ground, Sparky landing nimbly on his four paws. The redhead he crashed into also met the ground ungracefully.

"Ow, ow, ow!" The fair girl rubbed her bottom in attempt to rid herself of the pain. Richie scrambled to his feet.

"Oh I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to-" He started. "Misty?"

The girl who had taken his hand looked up, green-blue eyes innocent and confused. Surprised and thoroughly embarrassed, Richie dropped her hand and she once again fell to the ground.

"Ow!" she bounced off the dirt path and Richie hastily apologized once again. This time he actually completed the task of helping her to her feet. "Thanks, Richie."

He just smiled weakly, scratching the back of his head, a nervous habit.

_I try to focus my attention  
But I feel so A-D-D  
I need some help, some inspiration  
(But it's not coming easily)  
Whoah oh...  
_

**Later, Cerulean Gym**

"So what are you doing out here in Cerulean?" Misty asked, placing a cup of steaming hot chocolate in front of him.

"Just trying to find new places to train for the League… Um… What have you been up to?" Richie was flushed, trying to look everywhere, except at Misty. She smiled and swirled the contents of her own cup.

"Just taking a walk to get away from annoying trainers trying to get their badges."

"So… am I… annoying?"

"Huh? What? No! N-not at all…" she spluttered, almost spilling the blistering liquid in her mug."…Why do you ask?"

"Well, you said that trainers getting badges are annoying… but I'm one of those trainers." He bowed his head, peaking up at her from behind his own mug.

"I didn't mean you _per say_… I just… Oh, forget it." She sighed, turning to look out the window where the first snowflakes had begun to fall. Richie could not help but stare at her tranquil look. It was not peaceful or happy, just a passive look that seemed to exude an aura of calm. Richie felt it wash over him in waves, the ocean's tide reflected in the blue-green pools of Misty's eyes.

His hand reached out, ever so slowly, to cover hers. It hovered above its destination for a split second, Richie still caught in his trance. Millions of words raced through his mind, yet none seemed to fit the situation or the recipient.

_Trying to find the magic  
Trying to write a classic  
Don't you know, don't you know, don't you know?  
Waste-bin full of paper  
Clever rhymes, see you later  
_

"Hey! Look it's snowing!" She jumped up from her chair towards the window, looking like a child who's birthday had come early. Richie sighed inwardly. Just when he thinks he's found the right words to express himself, he loses them because of the object of his affections.

He rose from his seat and walked over to stand behind Misty, noticing that now, at age 17, he was taller than she was. The window offered a view to the outside world, a masterful painting of nature. The outdoor pools of the Cerulean Gym frozen over with a white glaze, crisp grass faintly dusted with sparkling white sugar, and the sky a bright white, glowing with small stars drifting downwards toward the earth. Then, there was Misty, eyes ablaze with glee, her hair falling straight down onto her shoulders.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" she asked.

"Yes, you are…"

_These words are my own  
From my heart flow  
I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you  
There's no other way  
To better say  
I love you, I love you...  
_

Her cheeks reddened to the color of her hair. His blush rivaled her own, and won the battle, by becoming the color of Sparky's cheeks. He looked around him frantically, for something to bring up to avoid impending doom and rejection. Coming up with nothing, he opted to leave the room. Swiftly.

Misty was shell-shocked and rooted to the cold linoleum floor. Her mind slowly processed his behavior and words. She let out a small noise, caught between a squeal and a cry. She raced after him, forgetting her coat in the process as she flew out the door and down the stairs of the Gym's living quarters.

"Richie!"

_Read some byron, shelly and keats  
Recited in over a Hip-Hop beat  
I'm having trouble saying what I mean  
With dead poets and drum machines  
I know I had some studio time booked  
But I couldn't find a killer hook  
Now you're gonna raise the bar right up  
Nothing I write is ever good enough_

**Just outside Cerulean City**

"Way to go, Richie. You crush on a girl for five years and suddenly, with three words, you throw it all out the window!" Richie mumbled to himself. Sparky pulled on his scarf, wrapping it around himself as well as his trainer. "At least I can't mess up my relationship with you, buddy. You'll still be my friend, right?"

"Pika!"

"That's reassuring." He paused, staring at the bright white sky. The first snow in Kanto softly landing on his face, he cried out to the heavens, "Why? Why do you have to try and trick me, huh? You know I love nature, but I love Misty, too! Jeez… just when I think the Great Outdoors couldn't get _any_ greater…"

He heard a light cough behind him. Slowly, he turned to face his most precious person.

_These words are my own  
From my heart flow  
I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you  
There's no other way  
To better say  
I love you, I love you...  
_

"Do you mean that, Richie?" She stepped closer to him.

"Yeah… I do… I just didn't… I didn't know how to tell you or... anything, really." His hand traveled to the back of his head, scratching again in nervousness.

"Well… that's… um, good."

"Why?"

_These words are my own  
From my heart flow  
I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you  
There's no other way  
To better say  
I love you, I love you..._

"Because, uh, um, I think I like you, too…"

_I'm getting off my stage  
The curtains pull away  
No hyperbole to hide behind  
My naked soul exposes  
Whoah.. oh.. oh.. oh.. whoah.. oh.._

Richie stepped forward again, his crystallized breath caressing her face. He smiled and Sparky gently hopped from shoulder to shoulder, tying the long scarf around both Richie and Misty, drawing them even closer together.

**Later still, Cerulean Gym**

_Trying to find the magic  
Trying to write a classic  
Waste-bin full of paper  
Clever rhymes, see you later  
_

The new couple sat on the little blue couch in Misty's living room. They enjoyed the bustling fire in the fireplace, laughing about their past naiveté in matters of the heart. The scarf was still present, but no longer needed as Richie's arm had found its way around her shoulders. Misty leaned back into the embrace, her back against his chest with her head tilted up to look at his face.

_These words are my own  
From my heart flow  
(Don't you know)  
I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you  
There's no other way  
To better say  
I love you I love you  
_

"I guess there's no better way to say it, Misty."

"Say what, Richie?"

He just smiled, and poked her in the side. She wriggled, trying to get away from him and to stifle her laughter. He raised an eyebrow and held onto her tight. She stopped squirming and looked up at him expectantly.

"Say what, Richie?"

_These words are my own  
From my heart flow  
I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you  
There's no other way  
(There's no better way)  
To better say  
I love you I love you_

He just leaned down and kissed her, still smiling.

_These words are my own  
They're from my heart  
I love you, I love you  
That's all I got to say, can't think of a better way  
And that's all I got to say  
I love you, is that okay..._


End file.
